3.5 stars
Jack works for the CIA in Russia. His mission is to cultivate contacts who can be turned for the US, while resisting being turned or found out. Jack is kind of half-hearted about his assignment, because all he really wants to do is buy a ranch in California and live there happily ever after. Complicating things even more is his ability to see that most Russians just want to live their lives and the fact that he is gay. It is the 1980s, so while people were being more open about it, it was definitely not accepted. When Jack meets Eton, his bosses think that Eton will be the perfect mark to try and turn, so Jack sets out to do so. When Jack is recalled from Russia, he leaves everyone behind, including Eton, who he has feelings for. Over the next couple of years, Jack thinks of Eton often, and when he finally meets him again, has a chance to change the outcome of his story.

There wasn’t a lot of romance in this. Jack and Eton don’t spend huge amounts of time together in the book, although Jack does think of Eton often. This was more a spy story that felt authentic (mostly about paperwork and preparation and cultivating assets and lying or prevarication) with moments of movement. Although it mostly wasn’t intense movement, so nothing like most spy books or films, with all the action. If a book that covers spies, the advent of AIDS, Cold War between US and Russia, Chernobyl, Afghanistan war (the original one in the 80s, with Russia invading), and the Eastern Bloc opening their borders to the west could be considered quiet, this book is. It honestly feels more like a real document on what happened than a story. And the ending is…ambiguous at best. I’m going with the idea that all will be well, but it is definitely left to the imagination. ( )